downloads, news, and concerts

Date

January 3, 2018

Undefeated strawweight phenom Mackenzie Dern (5-0) is set to make history this year, as she will become the first female in the history of MMA to have fights completed in all three of the sport’s leading promotions — Invicta Fighting Championships, UFC and Legacy Fighting Alliance.
The 24-year-old…

Motorsports fans will want to head to Angel Stadium of Anaheim this weekend as Monster Energy Supercross descends on the venue Jan. 6 for its first race of the 2018 season. Tickets start at $20 and are on sale now here.
Monster Energy Su…

Childhood friends Max Davis, Sean McCarthy, and Griffin Sherry played their first show as Ghost of Paul Revere at a small bar in Portland, Maine in 2011. Since then, the “holler-folk” trio with a talent for lovely three-part harmonies and rowdy, foot-stomping shows has become a regional favorite…

Pennsylvania’s newest venue will welcome one of country music’s biggest names in April. Reba McEntire will perform two concerts at the new Xcite Center at Parx Casino on April 27 and 28, and fans can get tickets starting Friday, Jan. 5 t…

One of the world’s most popular ballets will grace the stage of the Infinite Energy Theater in Duluth this spring when the Northeast Atlanta Ballet performs the classic “Coppelia” as part of their 2017-18 season.
The comedic French ballet, composed by Léo Delibes and first performed in 187…

The new year has come hard and fast for music streaming giant Spotify. The company has been slammed with a potential $1.6 billion lawsuit from Wixen Music Publishing claiming that Spotify has violated Wixen’s copyright on more than 10,000 songs – including tracks from rock legends Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Stevie Nicks.

This lawsuit comes alongside breaking news that the streaming company has secretly filed to finally put Spotify shares on the New York Stock Exchange. As big fans of Spotify’s model placing a high value on music discovery to give new artists a platform to build fans, we’re hoping these claims don’t have an affect on Spotify’s exciting plans to go public.

Spotify is one of the largest music streaming services worldwide, boasting 60 million paying users and more than 140 million total users. Wixen’s lawsuit argues that Spotify paid the music labels for licensing rights but not the music publishers or songwriters due to “insufficient efforts to collect the required musical composition information.” These claims are alleged at this point, and a court ruling has not been made either way. Spotify has not made comments about the bold accusations.

A representative from Wixen explained:

“All we’re asking for is for [Spotify] to reasonably compensate our clients by sharing a minuscule amount of the revenue they take in with the creators of the product they sell. Music fans should be able to enjoy Spotify, knowing that their favorite artists are being treated fairly.”

Fortune magazine has pegged Spotify at being worth $16 to $20 billion, which would make it the most valuable standalone music streaming service in the world. It’s unclear how much the lawsuit will actually affect Spotify’s valuation, and until more information is revealed we’re unsure how this will impact the streaming platform.

Independent record label Monstercat, a Canadian imprint that’s helped shape the careers of musicians like Bassnectar, Seven Lions, Marshmello, Kayzo, Robotaki, DROELOE and more, kicked off 2018 with a massive announcement this week. In an unprecedented move that recognizes how diverse electronic music has become in the label’s six years, Monstercat will split into two distinct brands, Monstercat: Instinct and Monstercat: Uncaged, in 2018.

According to Monstercat CEO Mike Darlington, Monstercat: Instinct “represents an important development in the tastes and interests of the Monstercat family… Instinct will develop the unique stories of our artists worldwide.” From the teaser video linked below, it appears that this side of the label will explore the more laidback, melodic subgenres of electronic music. Artists Didrick and Owl City are confirmed for releasing music with Instinct in 2018.

On the other side of the spectrum, Monstercat: Uncaged will continue the vision that Monstercat was created with back in 2011. “The combination of live events, bass music, and gaming laid the groundwork for our deep love of electronic music. Uncaged allows us to heighten the focus on these core elements to create a compelling experience for our community,” Darlington said. The Uncaged teaser video, also linked below, drives that idea home. Artists Gent & Jawns and Darren Styles are confirmed to join Uncaged in 2018.

As one of the most powerful forces in dance music, Monstercat is certain to do big things with both Instinct and Uncaged. We can’t wait to see where these two imprints take things in 2018; for now, check out the teaser videos below. Enjoy!